1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the art of feeding loose crop material from bales thereof and, more particularly, is concerned with a method and machine for tearing apart stacked crop material bales.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Crop material such as hay or the like in its loose form is one of the standard feed materials for livestock. However, it is accepted present day practice to harvest hay in the field by forming it into small compact rectangular bales which are then stored in large stacks until needed for subsequent use as feed for the livestock. Consequently, the bales of hay must be broken up when they are subsequently fed to the livestock.
Under traditional feeding practices, a lot of hand labor is employed in breaking up the bales and shaking out the hay into loose form as the bales are deposited into feed bunks or onto ground feeding areas. In recent years, the availability of hay handling labor has become more scarce and labor costs have steadily risen.
Therefore, there is presently a growing need for a machine that would in some manner automatically, without the assistance of hand labor, breakup or tear apart the bales and feed out the hay or other crop material, forming the bales, in loose form at the feeding location.